MORALS. 119 



indeed than our intellectual, emotional, or bodily 

 senses. 



Physiological moralists, who alone seem to have any 

 solid foundations to stand upon, believe that moral 

 states correspond with ' nerve ' states, and that with 

 moral change moral thought, moral impulse or voli- 

 tion, moral action there is associated molecular or 

 nerve change. But I ventured to use the phrase 

 ' moral nerve ' in a still more special sense in the t 

 sense that it is separate, independent, set-apart nerve- 

 apparatus. The moral nerve ceils, like all nerve cells, 

 have innumerable links of communication with each 

 other and with all the vast and complex masses of 

 cells which, together, make up the nerve centres. 

 How instantaneous this communication is, the following 

 incident (illustrative of an endless number of such 

 incidents) will show. A lady, of quite average nerve 

 structures and nerve capabilities, came suddenly into 

 the presence of a beautiful prospect ; her eyes instantly 

 filled with tears. Now what happened? Broadly 

 this : one cluster of cells (vision cells) lighted up 

 the prospect; another cluster (intellectual cells) took 

 in the view ; another cluster (emotional cells) was 

 startled at the beauty of the view; another cluster 

 still (secretion cells) induced the formation and flow 

 of tears. The filaments of communication were so 

 numerous, and the nerve force so rapid, that all the 

 processes seemed merged into one. So, in the same 

 way, I cannot but think that the moral cells have I 

 immensely wide and immensely rapid communication 

 with intellectual, emotional, sensational, motor, and 

 other bodily cells. Moral nerve and intellectual nerve / 

 are constantly appealing to each other sometimes 

 helpfully and sometimes the reverse. 



